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Best Chicken Rice in Singapore: After Visiting 53 Stalls!

A good chicken rice has three major components:
(1) the chicken must be smooth and skin a gelatinous texture;
(2) the rice grains are first fried in garlic, sesame, and chicken fat, and then boiled in chicken stock, and pandan leaves. The rice must be aromatic and mustn’t be overly greasy;
(3) and the chilli-garlic sauce must have a balance, it must have a kick but doesn’t numb the tongue.

Dark soya sauce and minced ginger are usually provided. If the soup is good, it’s a bonus, but nobody really cares for it.

I ordered, “A plate of chicken rice, please,” and let the hawker decide whether I got thigh or breast. (Mostly they gave breast because thigh usually costs extra.)

We didn’t include restaurants such as the famous Chatterbox, selling $32 for a plate, because we shouldn’t compare apples to oranges. And as usual, this list is not definitive. We shortlisted and visited 53 well-known stalls but 5 stalls were closed for good.** There may be new stalls waiting to be discovered. Comment and let us know.

Chicken:No taste one. 5/10Rice: Still no taste. 5.5/10Chilli: watery, no spice. 5.5/10Pros: Old school. Run by old folks. Nostalgic.Cons: NA.Cost: We had chicken for two and steamboat for two. $35Rating: 5.333/10

Chicken (breast): Although cut along the grain, still rather tender. 6/10Rice: Only a mild fragrance. 6/10Chilli: So spicy that the touch of lime couldn’t lift it. 6/10Pros: Plenty of seats. Central.Cons: Not a long queue but slow.Cost: $3Rating: 6/10

Chicken: So salty I couldn’t taste the chicken. 5.75/10Rice: Just a notch softer than al dente but tasted normal. 6/10Chilli: Garlicky, slightly salty, and the kind of spice that burned to the stomach. 7/10Pros: Considered as affordable in city. Swift service. Seats during peak hour. Great cabbage soup. Renowned among tourists, including Japanese. I eavesdropped on the Hong Kong tourist who told the server she heard about the place from her friends. Great presentation.Cons: Ginger is minced, not as a sauce, which is unique but bland.Cost: $4.50Rating: 6.25/10

Chicken: So so, drizzled with a sweet sauce that some may not like. 6/10Rice: Oily, and flavorful. Slightly softer than al dente. 7.5/10Chilli: Spicy without variation. 6/10Pros: Near MRT, near carpark. They deliver to your table.Cons: Short hours. Ran out of ginger.Cost: $12 for 3 persons (we ordered half a chicken, but they ran out and we were the last customers, so we took their chicken breast.)Rating: 6.5/10

Chicken: Very tender but no taste. 6.75/10Rice: Nice bite, smells amazing, and tastes so so. 6.25/10Chilli: Limey, not very spicy, and a sweet aftertaste. 6.5/10Pros: A proper restaurant that serves that stir-fried dishes. It’s more famous for its soy chicken.Cons: Expensive. The takeaway queue was short, the chicken rice chopper kept chopping non-stop, but the queue moved painfully slow. It was like there was famine, and people were stocking up on chicken rice. The uncle in front of me ordered 2 full chickens, 1 roast duck, and 1 portion of char siew with 4 packets of rice, that means, 4 persons eat so much meh??? Need to so kua zhang or not?Cost: $4 a packet takeaway.Rating: 6.5/10

Chicken: Tasty skin. 7/10Rice: Greasy and tasteless. 6.25/10Chilli: Not everyone will like this sweet-sour sauce with no spice. 6.5/10Pros: Fast. Plenty of seats. Lots of other stalls to eat from. Central location. Affordable.Cons: Not environmentally friendly, and the plastic cutlery feels bad in the mouth.Cost: $2.50 a plate (+$1 for innards)
Rating: 6.583/10

Chicken: Bland and could be tenderer. 5.75/10Rice: Great texture, not fragrant, but the umami fills the mouth. 8/10Chilli: Very sweet with a tinge of lime, then the spice kicks in. Not great on its own, but when eaten with chicken and rice, it creates a complexity. 6/10Pros: Awesome cabbage soup. Inexpensive. Friendly and pleasant young man serving. Car lots plenty but you may have to walk. Sells other stir-fried dishes.Cons: No ginger.Cost: $2.50Rating: 6.583/10

Chicken: The drizzled sesame oil enhanced, not overpowered, the taste of chicken. 6.5/10Rice: First time here. Thought all rice came in balls, but no. So order clearly. Rice was undercooked, not fragrant, but tasted rich. 6.25/10Chilli: Spicy, salty, limey. Quite shiok. 7/10Pros: Great peanut soup, and ginger.Cons: Not a long queue but slow.Cost: $3.50Rating: 6.583/10

Rice: Greasy and not fragrant, but addictive. I’m destined to like oily carbs, fated to be fat. 5/10Chicken (thigh): So smooth it slid down the throat. Very flavorful. Skin tinged with a saltiness. Umami. 8.5/10Chilli: Super spicy with an aftertaste of lime. 6.5/10Pros: No queue. Halal. Hawker guy was nice. He gave a drumstick without extra charge. Tasty bowl of Malay styled soup.Cons: Hard to find parking. Lots of a**holes drivers cutting queue to carpark.Cost: $3Rating: 6.667/10

Chicken (breast): Bad chopping. Shouldn’t have cut along the grain, made the meat tough. But generous portion. 6/10Rice: with a hint of ginger. Not greasy but could be more fragrant. 6/10Chilli: Thick and strong. Very shiok. 8.25/10Pros: Opens early. Ample parking. Cheapest plate at only $2. Not greasy. Feels healthier compared to the rest. Boneless.Cons: Without GPS, impossible to reach.Cost: $3Rating:6.667/10

Chicken: Very tender and tasty. The skin was gelatin and smooth. But I felt like I was paying for bones and skin—little meat. 7.5/10Rice: Nice bite and tasted of fat. 6.75/10Chilli: Sour and buttery. Might not suit everyone. 6/10Pros: Cabbage soup. Very cheerful and friendly people running the shop. They kept laughing.Cons: Hard to get parking.Cost: $4+
Rating: 6.75/10

Chicken: Powdery texture but flavorful. 6.5/10Rice: Well cooked, each grain separated, but not flavorful enough. 6.5/10Chilli: Garlicky, then spicy. A thick, almost jelly texture. 7.25/10Pros: Aircon. Good presentation of food. A full-fledged restaurant that serves food other than chicken rice. Parking at Shaw Plaza.Cons: No soup and ginger. Long queue. GST and service charge. Too commercialized.Cost: $3.50+ a packet to takeaway. In restaurant, a plate of chicken starts from $5+. Rice at $0.60+. About $7+ per pax.Rating: 6.750/10

Chicken: Tough, but nicely tinged with sesame oil. 6.5/10Rice: A slight sweetness. 6.25/10Chilli: The kind of saltiness I like! Very savory. 7.5/10Pros: Pungent ginger. Soup seemed to be laced with herbs. Great atmosphere, like a Wong Kar Wai movie. Generous portions. Had an “old school” taste–I think old people would like it.Cons: Hard to get parking.Cost: $4
Rating: 6.75/10

Chicken: Nicely seasoned with a sweet sesame oil. 7.25/10Rice: Salty. Rather bland. But if you eat in big mouthfuls, there is a buttery taste. 6.25/10Chilli: Sweet and spicy. 7/10Pros: Affordable food in town. Serves other stir-fried dishes. Got seats. Can illegal park along the road and watch out for your vehicle.Cons: NACost: $3.50 a plate. Ours is two persons’ portions ($9).Rating: 6.833/10

Chicken: Very tasty and tender, but so little. The bird is not big. 7.25/10Rice: No aroma, cold, but very tasty. 7/10Chilli: Very spicy, but had a freshness, and it had a taste of capsicum. 6.75/10Pros: NA.Cons: No ginger. No soup. Expensive. Limited parking.Cost: $12 for 2 persons.Rating: 7/10

Chicken: Tender but tasteless. 6.25/10Rice: No wonder they don’t give ginger. The rice has enough garlic to kill vampires. Someone buy this for Edward Cullen. Having so much garlic boils down to personal taste: some like garlic, some don’t. The stall should sell mints too. 7/10Chilli: Very awesome. Thick, sweet, salty. 8/10Pros: Near lots of parking. Very patient and friendly lady taking the orders. Great soup, full of chicken fats floating. Very affordable. Lots of seats.Cons: Stinky breath.Cost: $2 onwards.Rating: 7.083

I had lunch at Cheong Chin Nam Rd (because it’s near my office), although the main branch is at East Coast.Chicken: Very tasty. All pieces came with skin intact. But bony. 8/10Rice: A bit too soft, and oily, but garkicky. 6.5/10Chilli: Very limey, very spicy. 6.75/10Pros: A light, refreshing garlic. Serves other stir-fried dishes. Near parking. Plenty seats. Great homemade barley.Cons: Air con not working. Soup tasted like maggi mee.Cost: $4.60 (chicken) + $0.80 (rice)
Rating: 7.083/10

Chicken: Seasoned sweetly, but the seasoning didn’t overpower the chicken. Was there seaweed in the seasoning?7.25/10Rice: Nice bite, salty, with an almost milky aftertaste. 8/10Chilli: Very spicy, and sweet. 6.5/10Pros:Cheerful service. You order and they deliver to you. Affordable. Plenty of seats.Cons:Limited parking. I had to go there 3 times because the stall was closed without prior notice.Cost: $2.50 onwardsRating: 7.25/10

Chicken: Hard, overcooked, powdery, but tasty. 6.25/10Rice: Great bite, redolent of fat. 7.75/10Chilli: Limey, gingery, with a kick. 7.75/10Pros: Near parking but limited lots. Old ginger.Cons: Long queue even at 11.20am, and it moved slowly because people were buying enough to feed their kampong. When people queue, they tend to overbuy. Be prepared to queue for 30 minutes. They forgot to give me soup. When I remembered, I was already almost finished.Cost: $3.50Rating: 7.25/10

I went twice. There were long queues on both times so I tabao the second time. For the two times I went, I saw the same angmoh buying! Tall, botak, neon pink tee!
Chicken: Seasoned overly salty, but I like salty. 6.25/10Rice: Very nice bite, and very balanced, not overly heavy and not bland. 8.5/10Chilli: Dense, and spicy, but too bad it’s monotonous. 7/10Pros: Affordable in town area. Very considerate. When I tabao, they separated the chicken from the rice.Cons: Small place, long queue.Cost: $4
Rating: 7.25/10

Chicken: They dunk it in iced water just before serving, so it is cold, refreshing on a hot day, and has very explosive flavors. The most unique among this list of 52 stalls. 8.5/10Rice: Great bite, but not aromatic. 6.25/10Chilli: Not the usual chilli. The dregs and liquid are separated. Not too spicy. 7/10Pros: Parking nearby. Everyone buys enough to feed an army, but the chopper works fast. Yu Kee is beside it, so if your friend doesn’t want chicken, Yu Kee duck is fantastic.Cons: No ginger. Sour soup.Cost: $3.50
Rating: 7.25/10

Chicken: The light seasoning brings out the natural sweetness of chicken meat. Very smooth texture, with an added crunchiness of the deep-fried garlic bits. 8/10Rice: Almost bland but tasty with not-too-salty sauce. 6.25/10Chilli: Viscous and garlicky. 7.75/10Pros: Ample parking. Great free-flow of appetizing achar and tasty cabbage soup.Cons: Long queue.Cost: $11.60 for chicken meat for two.Rating: 7.333/10

The original Sin Kee hawker at Margaret Drive retired, and people rented the same stall space and “borrowed” the name. I’ll not include that stall on this list. A few years later, her son opened this stall, and another son opened Uncle Chicken (see #39).Chicken: A good clean chicken. 6.75/10Rice: Super flavorful with a piquant aftertaste. Too bad it was lumpy. 9/10Chilli: Fruity and sweet. Tasted like dancing chef brand chilli. 6.75/10Pros: Plenty of seats and there are tables for up to 10 people, great for friends and large families. Near carpark. They deliver to you. Great ginger.Cons: Super duper long queue. No soup.Cost: $3
Rating: 7.5/10

Ah Tai is the former cook at Tian Tian (see #15), but fell out with the owner. He set up his own stall now, a few steps from Tian Tian. Talk about vengence!
Chicken (breast): Good chopping skills. Cutting against the grain = tender but still how could breast be this amazingly tender? They should bottle up the gelatinous skin and sell; it was impossible to resist. 9/10Rice: With a hint of ginger but could be more fragrant. 6.75/10Chilli: Shiok. Appetizing and burning. Might be too spicy. 7/10Pros: Longer hours than Tian Tian. Cheerful auntie. Not a long queue. Fast.Cons: Hard to find parking during peak hours. Hate using plastic spoon and fork: kills the environment, and doesn’t have a good hold.Cost: $3Rating: 7.583/10

Chicken: A very great bite, chewy and tender, and super flavorful. 8.5/10Rice: Aromatic of pandan, with a hint of ginger. 7.5/10Chilli: Spicy, and salty, and the garlic came across strongly. 6.75/10Pros: Tasty soup, sweetened by radish (I guess). Very thick ginger, one of the better tasting ones. A proper restaurant, serving other cooked dishes. Plenty of parking at United Square or Goldhill. Air con.Cons: Labor crunch, hard to get servers’ attention. Tables are too near to one another, cannot whisper sweet nothings. No more I love yous.Cost: $4.80+ a plate of chicken rice. Quarter chicken $8.50, half $16. Rice at $0.80. No service charge, got GST.
Rating: 7.583/10

Chicken: Strong sesame oil taste, covering the taste of chicken. But what beautiful, pristine chicken. 6.375/10Rice: Fragrant, great bite, flavorful. 8.5/10Chilli: Limey, spicy with a tinge of bitterness. 8.5/10Pros: Free but limited parking in a small compound outside restaurant. Air con. Swift and friendly service. Serves other stir-fried dishes. The salad prawns looked awesome. The best soup of all 52 stalls, full of collagen, great for beautifying. Free delivery from $30 onwards. Free-flow of coffee from 3-5pm daily.Cons: Hard to find the restaurant. Expensive. At first, we thought there was no ginger because we weren’t served and there were no empty ginger bottles. When we finished eating, we saw them refilling ginger in bottles. They must be kept the empty bottles before we came in. They should have told us there was ginger.Cost: $5.50 (chicken) + $1 (rice)Rating: 7.792/10

Chicken: Nice clean bite, but nothing extraordinary. 6.5/10Rice: Lumpy but so rich. So garlicky. 9/10Chilli: Zesty, invigorating. 8.25Pros: Near carpark (but many cars). Plenty of seats. Generous portion.Cons: No ginger. Slow, about 30-min queue. Open less than 20 hours a week! They must be making lots of money to work so little.Cost: $3
Rating: 7.917/10

In conclusion:
(i) Singaporeans love chicken rice and are willing to queue for a very, very long time for chicken rice.
(ii) Standards for chicken rice in Singapore are very, very high. Any stall that scores a 6 and above serves delicious chicken rice.
(iii) Big names do not mean they are the best. Boon Tong Kee didn’t even make it to top #20, and Tian Tian not in #10.
(iv) Chicken rice is one of the few hawker food that you can start from scratch, and then open a restaurant eventually.
(v) Although restaurants fare well generally, great chicken rice can still be found at hawker centres. Yay!

PS: I didn’t differentiate between Hainanese- and Cantonese-styled chicken rice because tasting good is more important to me (who cares about the style? Can be Harry Styles for all I care); because the differences aren’t insurmountable; and because the styles are pretty hard to tell apart these days. Such sacrilege!

I notice that you didn’t mention uncooked, undercooked, rare or bloody chicken. This is my MAJOR turn-off at so many chicken rice restaurants or stalls. I have now encountered three places that served me up uncooked chicken, usually in the thighs right near the bone. You can see that the bone is not cooked and the meat is bloody – red or pink. This is completely disgusting and VERY dangerous because uncooked chicken usually brings salmonella. I have been poisoned twice from uncooked chicken (once at Wee Nam Kee – never going back there again). Because of this, I usually avoid chicken rice restaurants or stalls, or go with roasted chicken instead. If I want steamed/boiled chicken now, I do it myself at home – then I can be sure it is properly cooked all the way through.

Great comprehensive review. I guess a lot of hard work went into that! I haven’t eaten too much apart from Tian Tian, so I was wondering where you ranked it. ;) To know there are supposedly 14 better places than Tian Tian gives me a lot of choice on my next visit to SG! :)

Wow, so very comprehensive and probably the best review on our most loved local delicacy. Thanks to u, I get to savour all the very best chicken rice places near my office and beyond.
Well done and keep up the good work!

Hi! Nice review there! I have a chicken rice stall for recommendation which perhaps you may want to give it a try! It’s located at Block 347, Jurong East Avenue 1, Yuhua Market and Food Centre (Xing Yun Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice). Close on tuesdays. Give it a try! You might like it ;)

Hi, there’s a chicken rice stall inside an industrial park called hwa kee chicken rice that’s worth a try, the shop owner is also taught by the late sin kee owner. The shop is at kallang place block 26. They have lots of variety of chicken, and also the braised pork is really worth a try.

Understand that dipping cooked food in cold or iced water is supposed to stop the cooking process so as to avoid the food from being over cooked. Some learned noodle stalls still dip the cooked noodles in cold water and then dip back in hot water. This shock treatment is supposed to give noodles the crunchy feel.

I notice you did not cover the west much. Next time, give the “Tan Brothers Roast” or something similar at Boon Lay Place Food Centre a try. I been visiting that stall since I was a kid. It is facing the shopping centre and only 1 chicken rice stall on that entire stretch. Brought people there several times and all of them gave the thumbs up! Could not find another stall with the same standard as them. Price is pretty reasonable too but I can’t give a base price as I always top up with pig’s ears.

We were (un)lucky. We were the last group to order–people in the queue behind us were rejected–so I think they ran out of lots of things. Actually I stayed at YCK 10 years back, and I often went to Yishun to eat this stall.

you did not try bugis st chuen chuen chicken rice..? they were from Longhouse and shifted to Balestier market.. and have another outlet at Bugis Street.. the one at Bugis Street serves more variety, cafe style..

Do try Jew Kit Chicken Rice at Bt Timah Shopping Centre, you won’t regret it! Makes my wife and me eat stuffs other than chix rice when we frequented 5star and Boon Tong Kee just across the road (Cheong Chin Nam Rd). Will help you decide which is #1 overall rank :D

I lived in the same area too! I think he/she meant the hainanese chicken rice stall, at the left corner. There’s another chicken rice in the middle as well, also long queue during lunch hour also – their white chicken sells out by lunch..

I’m sure you can’t rate everyone in SG..But I think there’s one that should be mentioned and rated.
It’s a store in Sengkang Square , governs by the Kopitiam group. I did not notice the stores name, but it’s the one facing the small rd going to it’s car park above.
For $2.70 after ‘K’ discount, you get soft chicken pcs in a plate well splattered with some special saucy liquid .( I always wondered what’s the mixture are made up of, but I know that only good chicken rice stalls does that to make the meat more tasty , looking good and juicy , good rice, chilli is old school , separate ginger in oil. and the right type of dark soy sauce and comes with a bowl of simple soup.
This stall if rated by what you’ve rated above , he should be in the top ten at least. For his passion in making the chicken rice. Very humble person who just have occasional beers with his friends.
Pls rate him as we do not like to have good hawker disappeared without being noticed.
Thanks.

Guys, here is one more to recommend.
Located at Amoy Street on the Second Level. Jiefuji Chicken Rice.
The guy who prepares it was trained by Boon Tong Kee (Not sure if the spelling is correct)
The food is amazing. Please Check it out soon as the whole of Amoy Food Centre will be undergoing renovation soon.

Thank you for the wonderful review. We really appreciate your tremendous effort and time spent.

I would like to share the following points:

!. Chicken tastes better if a good quality light soya sauce is used. This ingredient is sadly missing in most of the hawker stalls. You don’t have to add in MSG. Just mix a little sugar to the sauce will be sufficient. Of course, an equally good quality dark soya sauce is important too.

2. To improve the boiled chicken rice, you should include smashed ginger, lemon grass and a little butter! Try it out. Yes, I totally agree with you that the rice should not be greasy.

3. I have noticed that many hawker stalls “hijack” some portions of the chicken, mainly half the portion of the chicken breast when you order whole chicken. Very dishonest and disgusting. One stall even “short change” me with a chicken wing. These are popular stalls! How naive! I have stopped eating in those stalls.

4. Of late, some stalls maintain the same price but they serve smaller chickens!

We are very fortunate that we can easily get good and satisfying chicken rice in Singapore. The only notable difference is that some are becoming more expensive as their rating goes up. For stalls that still charge $2.50 and $3.00 for a plate of chicken rice I wish them well and they should enjoy our patronage.

Argghh I have been there once before! Can’t remember the name but should be easy to find, it is an independent chicken rice shop, not under a kopitiam or coffee shop. I googled to see if there are any matches, ” Hougang Boneless Hainam Chicken Rice” may work :\.

The comparison would be more accurate if you had requested for the same chicken part for all the stores that you have tried. Because the texture of the meat of chicken breasts is definitely not as smooth from those of thighs. Texture of chicken is very important when comparing chicken rice which is also a pointer that you had pointed out in one of your three major components of a good chicken rice.

Wow amazing dedication to eat and then rank 47 stalls. And you must have done it around the same time for proper comparison. Respect!!!
I was reading thru the list and none of my two favourite stalls made the list *sads* and then boom! #1 spot is my all time fave chicken rice Hua Kee. :D Hooray! The son is now doing the chopping while the parents take the orders. Hope that means he’s taking over the stall permanently in the future. Last time when the son was serving he used to deliver the food to your table. And he’d remember the usual orders of regulars, even though there are so many. Now it’s the older folks serving, so back to self service. Anyway I’d feel bad if the auntie uncle had to deliver food to my table. I’ve not been in a few months, now I’m reminded of my love for it.

My 2nd fave stall is Tian Shui at Blk 48A, Tanglin Halt Market (market side, not the hawker centre). Like Hua Kee, the chicken and rice complements each other. I find the rice here is good. They also serve chicken feet skin and gizzard. (There is another cr stall 2 doors away. and quite a few other stalls with super long queues)

update : imo Tian Shui standard has dropped in the past few months. It’s still good but not as good as before. I don’t know why. The stall holders still look the same/ from the same family. The chicken not much change but rice is definitely not as flavourful as before. Now I can’t finish it, in the past I had two plates of rice (yikes)

I second/third Henry’s Chicken Rice at Commonwealth Crescent. It’s only $2.50 and the uncle is very proud of it. I don’t eat any roast chicken rice except for this. The meat is flavourful, and not dry. The skin is not restaurant style crispy but it has the same flavour – roasted flavour a bit on the salty side kind. (And it was this stall that got me started trying roast chicken rice again. unfortunately, those I’ve tried reminded me why I don’t eat roast chicken rice)

i always had that chicken rice when i stayed there. the rice is smooth , the chicken is so tasty and smooth and the chilli is damn damn damn good:) the kick of it, make me love it so much. miss it so much after i move to tpy, and none of the chicken rice here can matched the standard of tian shui . :(

Not that the owner make slot of money is that do you know that you are sleeping they have to start working 3am to prepared all the chicken and washing till end of the day 6pm.They work more then 8hours a day so please get to know them before you say anything.

Hi not that they earn more please you not in this hawker line please dont any how say that.Do you know that when you still in your dream when you sleeping they already work to prepare for the day sale.

It’s called chicken rice, not chili chicken rice – the weightage is skewed. The chili is a bonus, as is the soup (which is why I would put Delicious #9 at top spot; their soup is a dish of its own). Rate it again with soup and chili at half scoring, otherwise reorganise the list based on the merits of the chicken and rice only.

Hey really thorough and well thought out findings!
you should check out the chicken rice at ubi avenue 1 blk 350 at the corner. Im not sure what the name of the chicken rice store is but its very popular and finishes selling all the chicken by the end of the day which. Opens at 9 and closes at 6pm. Not open on sunday though.

I have tried hua kee#1 on your list. It isnt that nice. You should try 佳新 which is also in the same hawker centre. The chicken is soooo tender and the rice is fantastic. My daughter is the food critic by the way. 5 yr old… always honest!!!

Hello! Personally I’m a big fan of chicken rice too and the stalls at amk central’s s11 (beside macdonald) (chicken is tender and flavourful, rice is decent and soup is super delicious) and the one at hougang avenue 4 block 681 (chicken is super flavourful and rice fragrant). Give these 2 a shot! Easily make your top 10 in terms of my taste buds. Not sure about chilli cause I’m not a fan of it :)

REALLY? People are commenting on how the author of the post should have asked for ginger at Tian Tian?

Why don’t the staffs of the restraunt put out a bottle of condiment they prepared for the customers? Since its in contained a bottle, wastage is minimized as to putting it in a saucer, so don’t use wastage as an excuse. And the cost of a condiment is not more important than the impression of the stall, is it? Also, if you leave your bottled condiments out, you save time of service staff as compared to fetching it for the customers when they request for it.

Imagine how the author felt when he/she saw the ginger being refilled after finishing the meal. The impressions left on customers either be how stingy the stall was for withholding a simple condiment or the less than perfect service of the staff.

So why are people complaining that the author should have asked? Basic service line courtesy for your customers should always be observed.

Wow. Just wow. This list is amazing. Reading this before lunch was also possibly the worst idea I ever had so far in 2015, because I barely made it. Thank you for making this. There aren’t enough food blogs out there that review hawker/street stalls. Every blogger wants to review the next new Korean BBQ that came up, the next new Ramen place, etc. BUT THIS. IS. AMAZING.

This is a good review because many are biased and place Boon Tong Kee and Tian Tian in top spots. They are gimmicks for tourists and many are simply followers and not honest with their own tongues. If I were to judge, chili is definitely one of the important ingredients. If it cannot numb the tongue, then should use McDonald’s chili.

Awesome list for chicken rice lovers! Surprised that you have not tried the hainanese chicken rice at Whampoa Market. They’re located at the front near the clinics and random convenient shops. They usually sell out at 2PM tho. Do give other chicken rice shops a chance and let us know your ratings as well. Cheers!

I’ve been living in New York for 25 years now and there is no real good chicken rice here. There is one now quite close but still not like in Singapore. Most of them overcook the chicken for fear of salmonella. Some good skilled chefs should come and invest in a restaurant here. There is a demand for good chicken rice stall here.

Chicken rice reviewer should seriously pay attention to Nan Xiang chicken rice at Tanjong katong road (coffee shop next to Caltex)….the short operating hour and constant long q speaks for itself…lunch and dinner hour only…personally I prefer the later…it’s easily among the best in Sg :)

As a true blue Hainanese and a CR fanatic, I dare say I tried 3/4 of your list.

However need to highlight that the Traditional Hainanese CR home cooked style of preparation is what #47 and 46 on your list ascribe to – seemingly bland, tough and tasteless. However, the older generation (PG card holders?) swear by this style without seasoning sauces so they can relish the gamey taste of the bird (older free-range birds preferred). Another reason to skip the sauce is because the traditional thrifty Hainanese housewiives will stir fry the leftovers chicken with lots of julienned ginger, shallots, sesame oil and dark soya sauce the next day. The 2nd round leftovers will go into a rich broth of flavourful porridge,, indescribable culinary perfection!

Agree that the younger Singaporeans find it hard to appreciate this style of cooking.

Great efforts on compiling the yummy chicken rice in SG. If can include some less popular stall at heartland area will b cool, some are not popular but yummy as well.. staying at yishun.. apart from 925 chicken rice, the one at yishun 293 also not bad.. especially roasted chicken..yummy

#6 doesn’t run the shop at Mei Chin Market anymore; now with his brother at Bedok. Closed down for awhile and taken over by a rogue. Claims to be the previous owner banners and all (reopened). Chicken is smaller and rice is hard (bad quality rice). HGW has a few fake reviews about it to top things off. BAN BAN BAN!

Sorry bro, am late again…:)
This stall at Smith Street China town hawker is not really chicken rice as compare, cause they are selling soy sauce chicken. I think their stall number is #02-128 (Hong Kong “Oil” Chicken). Their chicken is F (sorry have to use the ultimate letter) unbelievable…not only is very tasty, it is also cheap. Though chicken is slightly smaller but they sell at $14 (and $7 for half!!!). A plate of chicken rice (plain rice) is only $2 and noodle/kway teow is $2.50. There is no special price for drumstick…meaning you can get drumstick rice or noodle for $2 or $2.50 if you request though i did not try as I always orders by whole.
Stall opened at 1100 till sold out about 1700. Be prepared for long queue at any time and hour cause I tried queuing at almost every hour on different days…10+ ppl if you are lucky and 20+ is average…
I am now hooked on his chicken and quit Tian Tian (before Ah Tai open his stall) or even Ah Tai which is my fav “white’ chicken rice…:)

Thanks for the recommendations. But I dislike soy chicken. I dunno why. If there is a war, I’ll eat soy chicken. But since there isn’t, I better don’t snatch with you and I won’t make the queue longer for you.

Usually I can’t be bothered to answer trolls but since I just replied someone on hardware zone, I’ll just cut and paste.

Hello. Just want to clarify this because there is someone spreading rumors I stay in the East. I do not stay in the East. I stay in the North. So both East and West are equal distance to me.

I spend hours, sometimes days, doing research online, going through pages of forums, reading line by line for recommendations. If there is even just one person who recommends the stall, I’ll pay the stall a visit. So for the West, either there is really a lack of good food or no Westies come online to recommend their food.

So if you want me to feature the West food, follow me on Fb, instagram and twitter. When I ask for “where to get the best______ in Singapore,” you can give your suggestions.

Thank you for all the hard work. Will visit a few of these….. yummy! Once I was talking to a taxi driver. His family used to sell chicken rice and he shared with me the cooking process. Gosh, it was very labourious and so much effort goes into making good chicken rice.